1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to sport training and game playing devices utilizing an airborne projectile and, more particularly, to a device wherein one or more individuals may either play a game or practice skills in a sport using a projectile such as a football, baseball, Frisbee and the like. Specifically, the present invention relates to a football training or playing system wherein an individual may practice throwing and kicking skills individually or by interacting with other participants.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of recreational games and various practice devices relating to a wide variety of different sports is well known. The game devices are designed for recreational amusement and tend to mimic some of the movements of well-known sports. Examples of such devices are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,312,471, No. 4,592,555 and No. 6,338,686 wherein known movements from basketball and/or football are combined with other movements to provide recreational amusement devices.
Other devices and assemblies are designed not to necessarily provide amusement, but rather to provide a practice device for one or more sport movements. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,544,132 provides a device to improve basketball-shooting skills, U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,147 provides a device to improve soccer kicking skills, while U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,846 provides a device to help practice and improve football-kicking skills. U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,992, No. 6,220,976, No. 6,375,585 and No. 6,394,917 all provide different types of football goal post devices designed to enhance one's football kicking skills. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 3,820,787, No. 4,168,066, No. 4,826,166, No. 4,936,578, No. 5,037,095 and No. 6,620,065 are all designed to enable a person to practice and thereby enhance their football passing skill. U.S. Pat. No. 3,680,862 provides a target device that is designed to enable a person to practice both football passing and kicking skills as well as football hiking skills.
While the above devices enable a person to achieve a desired end purpose of either a skill practice or recreational amusement, none of them combine both sport skill practice with a game device designed for recreational amusement. Moreover, all of the above devices are designed for use by one participant. Unfortunately, many of the above mentioned sport skills involve two or more parties participating interactivity in the real world of sports, and none of the above devices address this issue. For example, the act of football passing requires that the ball actually be received by a target, not just thrown along a particular path, and the target is oftentimes moving. None of the above devices address this issue. Therefore, there remains a need in the art for such a device, and the present invention addresses and solves this particular problem in the art.